Born in Arkansas, Norris came to California where he lived with his wife Crystal, daughter Linda and soon to be born son Michael, to pursue a career in developing and racing dragsters, which he did with his brother Leonard Abbott. During a qualifying race Mr. Abbott was thrown from his corvette powered dragster on the quarter mile strip at Paradise Mesa Drag Strip. The car went through the qualifying traps and was clocked at 130 miles per hour when the transmission locked up and he was thrown from the dragster.